Getafe manager Jose Bordalas has jumped to ’s defence and called for ‘respect’ after was reported to La Liga for allegedly calling the forward a ‘rapist’.
The incident in question occurred after Bellingham tackled Greenwood to put the ball out of play during ’s 2-0 victory over Getafe on Thursday night.
Television cameras panned to Bellingham’s reaction and the 20-year-old midfielder appeared to mutter a two-syllable word in his fellow countryman’s direction, though the audio was unable to pick up exactly what was said.
It comes after Greenwood, 22, – .
Manchester United subsequently decided that Greenwood should start afresh elsewhere and the young attacker completed a season-long loan move to Getafe at the end of the summer transfer window.
After Madrid’s win at the Estadio Coliseum, reports in Spain indicated that Getafe had made a request for Bellingham’s alleged slur to be included in the official match report and La Liga are investigating the incident.
‘Getafe yesterday transferred the complaint to the La Liga match director and La Liga, as it always does on these occasions, has requested an expert report on lip reading to investigate the matter and act on the basis of what can be proven beyond doubt [by the lip reader],’ La Liga said in a statement.
It’s understood Bellingham could be handed a possible suspension if charged and found guilty by La Liga, though it remains unclear if officials will take action.
At his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Bordalas said it was up to Getafe and La Liga to ‘make an assessment’ when asked for an update on the situation.
The Getafe head coach also stressed that his previous comments indicating that back in September were a ‘misunderstanding’.
‘That has already been clarified, what I said months ago was a misunderstanding,’ Bordalas told reporters ahead of Getafe’s trip to Real Betis.
On Bellingham’s alleged slur, the Spaniard added: ‘I know the same thing that you know. It’s not up to me, it’s the club, La Liga and the Federation that have to make an assessment about it.
‘The only thing that I can say is that I ask for respect from Mason Greenwood because he is a great guy.
‘He is a man who respects everyone and has exemplary behaviour.’
Jeremy Freeman, an expert lip-reader working for The Daily Mail, has said he is ’97 per cent confident’ that Bellingham used the word ‘rapist’ in his clash with Greenwood.
After carefully analysing the clip, I am 97 per cent confident that the spoken word is “rapist”, particularly when considering the context in which it was used,’ he said.
‘The visual cues of the lips indicate the presence of the ‘R’ and ‘P’ sounds, and the word appears to end sharply.
‘Additionally, the speaker seems to have a pronounced Brummie accent, which I factored into my interpretation.
‘Given the clarity of these visual markers and the absence of any viable alternative interpretation, I am quite certain of this conclusion.’
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